


Together in the Summer Heat (It’s Something Sweet)

by numberonemilkbread



Series: Spiker-Setter Week 2020 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Popsicles, Spiker-Setter Week 2020, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:27:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26321131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/numberonemilkbread/pseuds/numberonemilkbread
Summary: "I’ve never seen egg-flavored popsicles before!”“The reason you’ve never seen it is obviously because it tastes terrible!”“Whatever, Iwa-chan, you have caveman taste buds. I wouldn’t expect you to appreciate good food!”Oikawa’s latest mission this summer vacation is to find the best popsicle stick in Miyagi, and Iwaizumi struggles with his emptying wallet, the summer heat, and his feelings for his stupid best friend.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Series: Spiker-Setter Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917811
Comments: 3
Kudos: 78
Collections: Haikyuu: Spiker-Setter Week





	Together in the Summer Heat (It’s Something Sweet)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Spiker-Setter Week Day 01: Summer | Struggle
> 
> I wrote this out in a day because I only found out about this challenge yesterday so I hope this spontaneous plot isn’t too boring.
> 
> Also apparently, Miyagi actually has pretty mild temperatures but for the sake of this fic let’s pretend it doesn’t.

Like always, Iwaizumi is roped into Oikawa’s latest obsession, this time in the form of trying one popsicle a day to find the _best_ popsicle in Miyagi.

Which is how Iwaizumi finds himself dragged around town each day, spending his precious summer vacation accompanying his idiotic best friend to various supermarkets and convenience stores.

“Iwa-chan, popsicles are _the_ summer food!” Oikawa insists on the fourth day of vacation when Iwaizumi grumbles about stepping out from his air-conditioned heaven and into the scorching summer sun. “No summer is complete without popsicles!”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re obsessed with finding the perfect flavor,” Iwaizumi mutters, already starting to sweat in his grey Godzilla t-shirt and khaki shorts. They haven’t even made it off their street yet.

“Aren’t you curious to know which one is Miyagi’s best popsicle stick?” Oikawa questions as he bounces down the street with way too much vigor for the burning weather. Iwaizumi grunts absent-mindedly and heads for the shady canopy under the trees lining the street, grateful for the slight reprieve.

“Since your taste buds are the judges here, _no_ ,” Iwaizumi answers honestly, kicking at a few pebbles on the ground.

“Mean, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa squawks. “I’ll have you know, my taste buds are _world-class—_ ”

“Uh-huh.” Iwaizumi eyes his best friend (still skipping out in the sun) skeptically. “And that’s why you think milk bread is the epitome of luxury dining?”

Oikawa gasps like Iwaizumi has just said something scandalous and wags a finger in front of his face. “Iwa-chan, I can’t believe you just insulted the milk bread god! You must apologize, or he’s going to take away my _precious_ —”

“Good. You were going to get cavities anyway with your one pack per day.”

Oikawa’s about to open his mouth to retaliate further when something behind Iwaizumi catches his eye. “Iwa-chan! We haven’t been to that store yet, let’s go check it out!” Oikawa suggests (demands) excitedly, one hand pointing in the direction of the convenience store and the other tugging on Iwaizumi’s forearm.

Iwaizumi doesn’t even have time to protest before he’s dragged away. He glances down at Oikawa’s hand closed around his arm, which has slid down to circle his wrist. There’s a sudden flashback of Oikawa’s hand in his, slick with sweat and their palms burning. He hadn’t let go back then despite the unbearable heat in their entwined hands because their parents had explicitly instructed them to hold on to each other when crossing the street. Maybe he wouldn’t have wanted to let go anyway.

That was many summers ago, perhaps when they were six or seven, and Iwaizumi now lifts his eyes to stare at the back of Oikawa’s brown, attractive (how is his hair not gross with sweat yet?) curls and their limbs linked between them, Iwaizumi two steps behind. He suddenly wonders when it became socially unacceptable for Oikawa to hold his hand anymore; when his best friend started circling his wrist instead whenever he wanted to lead him somewhere.

A blast of air conditioning cools Iwaizumi’s skin as soon as they step through the doors. He wants to heave a sigh of relief at the welcoming sensation and sigh disappointedly at the same time when Oikawa drops his wrist abruptly, finally settling for doing neither and trailing after his companion’s retreating figure. They weave through the aisles of snacks, confectionery, personal care items, and stationary before reaching the rectangular freezer housing iced goods at the back of the store.

Oikawa rests his elbows on the edge of the freezer and scrutinizes each packaging sharply through the glass, humming under his breath. Iwaizumi knows from the past three days of experience that this is going to take a while, so he busies himself by inspecting the drinks and prepackaged meals in the fridge behind them. After a while, he wanders back to Oikawa’s side to check on his progress.

“See anything you like yet?”

“Mmm… I’m deciding between this—” Oikawa points at the pile of blue soda-flavored Gari Gari Kun, “— and that.” He moves his finger slightly to the right to indicate the yellow Gari Gari Kun next to the blue ones.

The packaging is unfamiliar to Iwaizumi, so he bends down to read the labeling better. “Tamago… yaki? Why the hell would you want to eat that?” He spits out incredulously.

“Duh, it sounds interesting! I’ve never seen egg-flavored popsicles before!” Oikawa states, giving Iwaizumi a condescending look that implies he should’ve developed the same opinion.

“The reason you’ve never seen it is obviously because it tastes terrible!” Iwaizumi argues, his face morphing into disgust at the thought of egg-flavored ice. Granted, it’s _tamagoyaki_ , so it’s _sweet_ egg, but he still firmly believes egg—no matter what kind—does not deserve to be a popsicle flavor.

“Whatever, Iwa-chan, you have caveman taste buds. I wouldn’t expect you to appreciate good food!”

“You literally haven’t even tasted this yet. Just wait till you’re spitting it out.”

Oikawa ignores him and moves to open the freezer, evidently set on proving Iwaizumi wrong by trying to egg-flavored one, before halting midway.

“Ughhh I want to try the soda one too, though! It’s supposed to be the iconic one!” Oikawa whines, looking up at Iwaizumi with what can only be described as “pleading puppy eyes”. Iwaizumi likes to think he’s strong enough to resist any of Oikawa’s dumb charms, but unfortunately, he becomes weak when Oikawa _really_ cranks it up, which is the case right now.

“Fine!” Iwaizumi barks, annoyed at himself for giving in so easily when all Oikawa did was look at him with huge, sparkling eyes. “You’re paying for this though.”

Oikawa’s face is obscured when he bends down to pick up the two popsicles, and Iwaizumi turns suspicious when no answer is given. The reason for that is evident when his best friend straightens up with an innocent smile and chirps, “Oops, I forgot my wallet today again. Looks like Iwa-chan is paying!”

“Oikawa!” Iwaizumi growls, chasing after the other boy, who runs for his life towards the cashier. Unfortunately for Iwaizumi’s wallet, Oikawa knows the other boy will pay as soon as the items are deposited at the cashier to escape the humiliation of taking the items back while the cashier stares judgmentally at them, a fact that Oikawa uses to his full advantage.

Three minutes later, Oikawa happily unwraps his _tamagoyaki_ popsicle and takes a huge bite outside of the store, gloating over his victory and disregarding Iwaizumi’s murder eyes. Iwaizumi feels nothing but petty satisfaction when the other boy’s eyes widen and his face twists into repugnance. To his credit, Oikawa swallows the bite instead of spitting it out, but Iwaizumi still smirks triumphantly as he bites into his own soda popsicle.

“Mmmm, delicious,” Iwaizumi says with an exaggerated sigh of content. It really _is_ a good popsicle stick. He’s kind of glad Oikawa made him buy it, not that he’s going to disclose that thought.

“Iwa-chaaaaan,” Oikawa moans, staring at the yellow slab of ice on the stick pinched between his fingers, “this thing is _weird_! It’s like sweet egg!”

“That’s literally what _tamagoyaki is_. Besides, I thought you liked sweet things,” Iwaizumi replies, taking another bite, the crunch sounding in his ears as he relishes the icy sensation.

Oikawa stares at Iwaizumi’s soda popsicle longingly. “Yeah, when it makes _sense_! Eggs and popsicles don’t make sense at all!”

“That’s not what you were saying when you decided to buy it.”

“Ugh, now that’s one day wasted in my mission. This will probably be at the bottom of the list,” Oikawa mutters sulkily, sinking down to sit on the steps leading up to the store’s entrance. Iwaizumi follows and takes a seat next to him, peering at his best friend’s dejected expression and feeling something tug in his heart.

With a sigh, Iwaizumi offers his own popsicle with only two bites eaten out of it in front of Oikawa’s face. The other boy’s eyes light up at the sight, then looks guiltily at Iwaizumi.

“Are you sure, Iwa-chan? That one’s yours. If I take it, you won’t have a popsicle, and we both know you’re dying from the heat like an old man.”

Oikawa leans back to avoid Iwaizumi’s slap, laughing heartily.

“Just take it,” Iwaizumi insists because, despite Oikawa’s protest, he can tell the other boy is aching to take it. “Now you’ll be able to try two popsicles in a day.”

Oikawa grins and takes the popsicle from Iwaizumi’s outstretched hand as Iwaizumi reaches for the yellow one in Oikawa’s other hand, snatching it before Oikawa can say anything.

"Wait, Iwa-chan, don’t eat that, we can s—”

Iwaizumi bites into it before Oikawa finishes his sentence, surprising the other boy into silence. Wide-eyed, Oikawa watches Iwaizumi chew and swallow, waiting for a verdict.

“It’s alright. Not that bad,” Iwaizumi comments with a shrug. It actually tastes _really_ bizarre, but he puts on a neutral face and continues eating the popsicle to ease Oikawa’s guilt of taking his soda one.

Oikawa tentatively chomps into the soda one now in his hand and closes his eyes when a pleased hum escapes his lips. “It’s so good. Now I know why this one is the classic one.”

They finish their popsicles in silence, Iwaizumi watching Oikawa’s delighted face with satisfaction. He even manages to finish his own despite the unpleasant flavoring.

“Thank you, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says quietly when they’re both done and standing up.

“Dumbass, it was nothing,” Iwaizumi replies, waving his hand in dismissal to cover the slight heat blooming in his neck.

Luckily, Oikawa doesn’t notice the blush, instead surveying the surroundings in search of something. “Is there a trash can somewhere?”

“Yeah, I see one.”

“Where?”

Iwaizumi mimes chucking his popsicle stick at Oikawa, who scowls when he realizes the joke.

“Haha, Iwa-chan, so funny,” Oikawa deadpans with an unamused expression.

Iwaizumi grins. “There’s a trash can at the park, the last one there has to buy next time!” He jumps down the stairs and sprints off, leaving Oikawa confused and offended on the stairs.

“Hey! Iwa-chan, wait! You absolute cheater!”

☼ *•.¸☼¸.•* ☼

The next day, Oikawa tries a milk tea with mochi popsicle from 7-Eleven and Iwaizumi gets a coffee flavored one, ignoring Oikawa’s protests that coffee does not belong as a popsicle flavor.

( _“Crappykawa, you were the one who bought a tamagoyaki one!”_

_“That’s why I’m trying to stop Iwa-chan from making the same mistake!”_

_“Well, my brain actually works, unlike yours, so I know coffee and popsicles go fine together.”_

_“Iwa-chan, you’re so cruel! I’m just trying to help!”_ )

The day after that, Oikawa gets a watermelon popsicle that actually resembles a slice of triangular watermelon and makes fun of Iwaizumi for getting a green tea popsicle because “ _Iwa-chan, only old people eat green tea stuff!_ ”

And the month passes in a similar fashion. Iwaizumi even allows himself to be whisked away on a three-hour long wait for a limited-edition milk popsicle that Oikawa claims he _needs_ to try, eventually alternating between wanting to punch Oikawa for talking three hours non-stop and wanting to punch himself for allowing the other boy to rope him into this.

“This better be worth the wait,” Iwaizumi remarks when they exit the store, a popsicle in each of their hands because Iwaizumi sure ain’t leaving this place empty-handed after the agonizing wait.

“It will!” Oikawa affirms brightly, tearing open the packaging and throwing it away even though Iwaizumi keeps telling him to just bunch it around the stick so his fingers won’t get sticky when the popsicle melts. “Everybody online is saying this is amazing.”

Iwaizumi hesitantly sticks the popsicle in his mouth because he’s not one to believe in hyped stuff and is surprised at the rich, milky flavor. It’s definitely way better than the usual stuff in the nearby stores. He glances towards the other boy, expecting the same appreciative reaction.

“It’s not as sweet as I hoped,” Oikawa says, face falling as he chews on a bite.

“Are you kidding me? It’s good!” Iwaizumi never thought there’d be a day when he would agree with everyone else’s opinion of “good food”, and Oikawa would be the one to be disappointed at the hype. “Well, I guess you _are_ someone who can eat a whole pack of milk bread in one day…”

Oikawa ignores that jab, staring down glumly at the popsicle, and mutters, “It’s _good_ , but not as good as I hoped. Iwa-chaaaaan, I spent three hours waiting for this thing!”

“I know. I was there with you, in case you don’t remember,” Iwaizumi answers with an eye roll. “At least you got to explain all sixty-three of your Star Wars theories to me when we were in line.”

Oikawa’s face perks up a bit at the reminder of Star Wars, and the disappointing popsicle is forgotten when he exclaims with an animated look, “Oh yeah! I still need to show you the prequels! Iwa-chan, let’s go home now so—”

“Yeah, yeah,” Iwaizumi interrupts, a slight smile tugging at his lips at the sight of the sudden mood change. His heart feels lighter now that Oikawa’s not looking miserably at the popsicle even though six hours of sci-fi movies await him. “Finish your popsicle and we can leave.”

“Okay!” Oikawa agrees and shoves the entire thing in his mouth. Iwaizumi rushes to grip his stupid best friend’s hand, yelping, “Don’t do that, you idiot! You’ll choke. Now eat it like a normal person.”

“Iwa-chan is such a killjoy. I’m just trying to finish quickly so we can go home and watch the movies earlier!” Oikawa whines through a mouthful of milk-flavored ice.

Iwaizumi snorts and takes another bite. “Yeah, well, you’re never going to watch Star Wars again if you choke and die.”

“Nuh-uh! I’ll come back as a ghost to watch them! And haunt Iwa-chan!”

“And I’ll call an exorcist to get rid of you.”

“Iwa-chan, that’s for evil spirits.”

“Exactly. It’ll work perfectly for you.”

“You’re so _mean_! I don’t want to haunt you anymore because you’re just going to be mean to me anyway, even when I’m a ghost!”

“Good.”

“ _Iwa-chan!_ ”

☼ *•.¸☼¸.•* ☼

They’re hanging out in Iwaizumi’s room, with Oikawa sprawled on the floor and Iwaizumi reading a volleyball magazine, after returning from the thirtieth or so popsicle run of the summer.

“Mmm,” Oikawa hums thoughtfully, tapping the pencil against his notebook, which contains the names of every popsicle he’s tried this summer. There’s around fifty-five because Iwaizumi buys one on some days and lets Oikawa have a try (the spoiled brat always insists on taking the first bite). Half of them are Gari Gari Kun popsicles because there’re just too many flavors from this one brand.

“Iwa-chan, did you like the melon soda Gari Gari Kun better or the grape one?” Oikawa turns his head towards the boy lounging on the bed to ask the question.

“Does my opinion even matter? Isn’t the point of this to find what _you_ think is the best popsicle?” Iwaizumi asks back, flipping a magazine page.

“I still want to know what someone with malfunctioning taste buds like Iwa-chan thinks— Ow! Iwa-chan, don’t rip it! I want to read this too!” Oikawa yells, snatching up the magazine that has just attacked his face to inspect it for damage.

“You can read it now,” Iwaizumi says, flopping onto his back and letting his head hit the pillow.

“Later,” Oikawa states, bending over his notebook to scribble something down. “I’m ranking these popsicles from best to worst.”

Iwaizumi grunts in reply and picks up his phone from beside him to scroll through his messages, skimming over the few texts from the grade chat that consists of his classmates inviting people to hang out. His fingers are tapping out a reply to Hanamaki’s “ _u free for vball next tues?”_ when he asks, “So what’s the list looking like now?”

“The egg one is definitely at the bottom—that was so weird—and now I’m deciding where to put all the weird Gari Gari Kun flavors—”

“—Weird?”

“—Yeah, like the spaghetti one, and cheese, and corn potage,” Oikawa lists off, ticking off each one on his fingers.

Iwaizumi sends his message and replies, “I thought the corn one was okay.”

“Iwa-chan, your taste buds _cannot_ be trusted,” Oikawa declares, clucking his tongue in disapproval. “You definitely think the best flavor is the matcha and red bean one!”

Iwaizumi props himself up on his elbows and glares down at Oikawa offendedly. “Well, yeah, it was good! The melon soda one was okay too.”

“Iwa-chan, _no_.”

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes and swings his leg around to sit on the edge of the bed. “What do _you_ think is the best one then?”

“Hmmm… I thought the milk one we got at the supermarket down the street last week was good, but—”

“Wait, I just remembered something,” Iwaizumi cuts in and springs up from the bed to rush downstairs. Puzzled, Oikawa shuffles to the top of the stairs and peers down to watch Iwaizumi emerge from the kitchen, holding what seems to be two popsicle sticks.

“Did you buy popsicles without telling me?!” Oikawa squawks when Iwaizumi ascends the stairs. The boy shoots him an exasperated look and holds one out to Oikawa when he reaches the landing.

Upon closer inspection, Oikawa realizes it’s a mould for homemade popsicles and gazes at the creamy white ice inside of the plastic container. “You made popsicles?”

Iwaizumi scratches the back of his neck and looks down, abashed. “Yeah… You said the milk ones we waited three hours for wasn’t sweet enough, so I ordered Hokkaido milk to try and replicate it and added more sugar. I don’t know if it’s good though, so…”

Oikawa eagerly pops the popsicle out from the mould and shoves it into his mouth, the milky flavor and just the right amount of sweetness blessing his taste buds. Iwaizumi watches with hesitance, waiting for Oikawa’s opinion. He actually read over a bunch of blogs and websites on milk popsicles to make sure the ice would have enough flavoring, but he doesn’t think Oikawa needs to know the amount of effort he’s put into this.

The blossoming smile on Oikawa’s face is enough reward for Iwaizumi, and he feels his heart rate accelerate when Oikawa throws one arm around Iwaizumi, making him nearly drop his own popsicle, and says sincerely, “Thank you, Iwa-chan!”

Iwaizumi freezes before awkwardly returning the side-hug, trying not to concentrate on how Oikawa smells like fresh grass and something citrusy and _summer_. He coughs before saying, “So… You like it?”

“It’s absolutely _divine_ , Iwa-chan. I love it!” Oikawa declares cheerfully, taking another bite. Iwaizumi can’t help but feel pleased with the look of satisfaction on Oikawa’s face and tries his own stick. It’s way too sweet for him, but he eats it anyway to share this moment with his best friend, who’s now insisting that Iwaizumi start his own popsicle brand and Oikawa can be his model and commercial actor so that he can get unlimited free popsicles.

“Wanna come over tomorrow morning? Takeru’s visiting, and he said he wants to try and beat you at Mario Kart,” Oikawa says after they’re both done, and the moulds are deposited into the kitchen sink.

Confused, Iwaizumi asks, “We’re not going out tomorrow?” Every morning this summer, they’ve gone out to shops in every nook and cranny so that Oikawa can make sure he’s not missing any popsicle flavors. Now that the summer heat has faded a bit, Iwaizumi finds himself tolerating the daily popsicle adventures, though it might also have something to do with seeing Oikawa’s face of wonderous delight or scornful disgust with every popsicle he bites into.

“No, I’ve already found the best popsicle,” Oikawa replies nonchalantly as they head back upstairs.

“What? Which one?”

“Iwa-chan’s milk popsicle. _Nothing_ will ever top that,” Oikawa asserts, throwing Iwaizumi a wink that the other boy scowls at.

“Ew. Don’t pull the same dirty tricks that you pull on your fangirls on me,” Iwaizumi scolds despite the complacency in his heart at the honor of creating Oikawa’s favorite icy treat. It’s no small feat satisfying Oikawa’s weird palate.

“Iwa-chan, I’m trying to be nice!”

“How the hell is winking _nice_ , dumbass?”

“Meanie Iwa-chan wouldn’t know what constitutes as nice— Eeek! Iwa-chan, let’s talk this out like big adults!”

Iwaizumi brandishes the volleyball menacingly and chases Oikawa down the stairs, the other boy’s sounds of protests mingling with the summer music of cicadas.

**Author's Note:**

> Gari Gari Kun popsicles are probably the most famous ice cream brand in Japan and the soda one is so good!! I didn’t see any special flavors when I was in Japan but my wish is to try the melon soda one (my favorite drink in the world) and the weird flavors (I actually don’t know what the tamagoyaki one tastes like but I imagine it must taste quite weird because it’s like a savory food but sweet?? I still want to try the savory flavors though especially the spaghetti one)
> 
> The trash joke is actually something my brother started and now we say it to each other whenever one of us looks for a trash can. It seemed fitting for Iwaizumi and Oikawa, so I just slapped it in there. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and please comment to let me know what you think!
> 
> [Tumblr](https://numberonemilkbread.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/numberonemilkb2)


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